The origin of the Moodus Drum and Fife Corps dates back to 1821 when Hezekiah Percival learned to drum from Samuel Wilcox of Middletown Connecticut. The open stick "ancient" style of drumming, a hallmark of the Moodus Corps, has been reverently handed down from those ancient times to the present. When combined with the early 1800's Eli Brown drums which are still used by the corps, this style creates a truly unique sound. The corps strives to maintain a tempo that is considerable slower than that used by most corps today and is representative of the values instilled by the cadre of Moodus drummers that have gone before. It is this magic sound that has brought the Moodus Drum and Fife Corps a long and honored history of playing before several U.S. presidents, numerous commemorative events, and musters from Maine to Michigan.